SDVOSB Contractor Delivers Benefits to VA with HID Printer Support

Overview: 

After researching every option for warranty and non-warranty repair support for a fleet of HDP5000 Card Printers, a government SDVOSB contractor turned to ADVANTIDGE for assistance with creating a custom solution for maintenance, repair, and troubleshooting with one of the largest end users in the country. The Veteran’s Administration runs 200+ PIV offices and manages over 300,000 active credentials for employees who deliver critical health care services to millions of veterans who have served our country. 

Challenge: 

When the VA first came to ADVANTIDGE they were relying on the HID factory to provide warranty support for 500+ FARGO HDP5000 Card Printers. Even before the warranty ran out, they had encountered multiple issues with retransfer printing at the user level and only had standard user guides with no options for personalized support or direct access to technical expertise. This resulted in numerous printers being tagged as “non-functioning” or even sent in for repair when nothing was physically wrong with the unit; triggering further downtime and unexpected expenses for shipping charges.

By taking a consultative approach, we discovered a long list of requirements that would be needed to satisfy the VA. This included a dedicated toll-free line for authorized VA personnel to receive direct access to support, a custom ticketing system, and a standardized reporting process with project management. The total solution would need to track every request for support so that PIV management could verify issues were being resolved and addressed in advance if multiple sites were challenged with hardware, software, or user errors.

Solutions:

The ADVANTIDGE team learned the Veteran’s Administration simply required patience and access to an expert to guide them through a step-by-step process to resolve their issues onsite with HID Printer support.

Over the course of six months, the SDVOSB contractor worked with our team and the VA to develop a custom support solution and was awarded the PIV (Personal Identity Verification) HID FARGO ID Card Printer Contractor Repair Services contract by the Department of Veterans Affairs. ADVANTIDGE became the primary service provider with deep understanding and access to technical expertise for the system users to ensure reliable repair services for the VA’s inventory of active HDP5000 printers. The total solution provided a broad set of services to meet the needs of the VA; telephone troubleshooting, online support ticket management, customized service guides, a hot swap loaner program with ID card printer exchange and repair, as well as logistics, concierge inventory program, and associated services required for maintaining the continuity of the VA PIV ID card printing operation without backorders or delays across the network.

For a smooth onboarding process after implementation, ADVANTIDGE included customized training based on operator level, built out a step-by-step user guide, and a multi-level support plan for tier 1 vs tier 2 requests.  

Long-Term:

Over a 10-year period from the initial request, ADVANTIDGE built out a roadmap and designed the complete solution approved by the federal government for implementation across the country. With a custom support plan in place, the government contractor’s team was trained to provide help desk assistance in routing their client to the right resources so their tech teams could focus on their areas of expertise. 

Most importantly, ADVANTIDGE helped the VA deliver on their promise of serving the men and women who are America’s Veterans.

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At ADVANTIDGE, we work with our security integration partners and government contractors to be the experts on hand for complex applications for identity management, visitor management, prox upgrades, mobile ID, and more. By conducting thorough technical assessments, we support your clients as an extension of your company. Let’s connect and find a better way to support your key accounts today